Instagram recently improved its photo editing features, making them more comprehensive and allows you to achieve better results. Here’s a look at the new options and how to use them.

New Instagram Editing Features

To discover the new features, I’ll be using a simple image I took with my Android smartphone and will use the new features in the Instagram app to edit them — the iOS app received the same features, too.

Until now, applying an Instagram filter to an image meant you had to settle with the predefined changes the said filter would produce. Namely, you couldn’t decide the amount of “Valencia” you wanted on your photo. Now you can; just choose the filter you want and tap it once again after it’s selected.

Then, simply play with the slider to get the result you want. You can also add a frame if you want to, from the same place, where they are available. When done, confirm your choice using the buttons at the bottom.

A whole set of editing features has also been added also. Tap the wrench button in the main Instagram editing screen to see them.

A whole bunch of cool editing options will appear, which can turn Instagram into most users’ photo editing app of choice.

You can straighten your image, adjust brightness and contrast, as well as its warmth and saturation. You can also adjust highlights and shadows, as well as sharpen the image a bit if needed.

In most cases, you’ll get the same slider (shown above) which allows you to decide the amount you want.

In every case, results are visible instantly and you can play around until you achieve the desired effect.

Things are different when it comes to straightening your image. The slider is replaced by an angle scale, which you can use to set how you’re going to tilt the image. The good part is that you don’t just get to rotate the image, you can tilt it in every direction as much as you want.

the Tilt Shift feature is interesting and usable in both radial and linear fashions. The great part is that you can easily adjust the size of the area in focus by holding your finger on the screen and moving another finger around the area.

All in all, Instagram’s photo editing features are not a match for dedicated apps, like PicShop Pro, but they should be more than enough for most users. More than that, they’re very easy to use.